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Spiritual
gurus take on counsellors’ role
Phagwara City Club enters new phase
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Fun and learning at kindergartens
From the Schools
In harmony with
classical music
Shree Baba Harballabh Sangeet
Market Buzz
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Spiritual gurus take on counsellors’ role
Fragrance of incense wafts across the room that is resounding with chants. Voices rise and fall with measured intonation. It’s not exactly a spiritual excursion; it is a stress-busting session with spiritual overtones. Cut to another scene. Eyes closed, breathing almost imperceptible and hands relaxing gently on armrest — the meditation session is on at a Brahmakumari ashram. And there are scores of followers, all-eager to lighten their tensions and worries.
Have the spiritual masters taken on the mantle of counsellors as well? Well, the spiritual sojourn, as city folks tell us, has many facets to it. It is not just a matter of finding a purpose in life; it is also about making life more liveable (sans stress and strain).
Never has the need for spiritual gurus been felt more acutely as now. With mounting work pressures, soaring familial expectations and cut-throat competition, tension is a natural corollary. In such a scenario, it is not unusual for people to look for someone on whom they can rely upon unconditionally. Turning to spiritual gurus becomes almost a forgone conclusion. And in most cases, it’s not the lure of the other-worldly life that makes people followers of spiritual masters; it’s to sort out the knots of this very life that makes them “leave” their worries to the masters. “Everything seemed to be fragmented and disjointed. But after following my master Vikas Malkani’s teachings, I felt it was a new me. I could think and feel beyond the body. A sort of inner peace pervaded in my being. Problems that had seemed insurmountable looked puny now,” says Ms Sunita G.B. Singh, who runs a kindergarten. She can vouch that a guru is a healer. It’s the sense of security that most spiritual gurus instil in their followers which is significant. Though in many cases, meditation and related stress-busting techniques help ease tension, yet the “soothing effect” of the sheer presence of the spiritual master is not discounted by the followers. Usually, it’s the cathartic value of interactive sessions with the masters that holds the key. “My life has undergone a metamorphosis. I am no longer hyper strung, I don’t get ruffled easily. The feeling of being centred stays with me all through the day,” says Mr Lokesh, who works as a factory manager with the Lotus Bawa Group. Similarly, Dr Mahinder Kumar, working at General Hospital, Jalandhar Cantonment, feels that his fears and insecurities have ebbed away after his taking to meditation, which he learnt at the Brahmakumari ashram. While most would baulk at sharing their problems with counsellors or psychologists, but with spiritual masters, it is catharsis at its best. “Nothing is more stress-busting than a session of ‘thinking’ what our spiritual master has asked us to do. There is no question of holding back from the one who is cognisant of our problems,” sallies Ms Seema Vats, a homemaker. Though not many may be familiar with the effect of cognitive reinterpretation of a situation, yet psychology experts suggest that spiritual sessions could be helpful in this reinterpretation. “The idea is to help a person reinterpret the situation and look at things in perspective. Add to it the faith quotient and it’s just the right recipe for stress-busting,” explains Ms Monica Kapila, a psychologist. Interestingly, the master-follower relationship is often the case of the “right fit”. “Your guru finds you,” says “Live Life God size” teacher Vikas Malkani. Does he believe that a spiritual master also plays the role of a counsellor? “All spirituality is about understanding reality. Psychotherapy is about understanding mind. Undoubtedly, a spiritual master has a much wider role, though he may act as a counsellor, too,” he says. However, some like Dr Jasbir Singh Dosanjh, a city-based doctor who is an Osho follower, and Dr C.S. Pruthi, a leading cardiologist who believes in the spiritual power of Baba Kundan Singh Nanaksar, feel that a spiritual master’s task is to open new doors of self-realisation for seekers. “I would never ask anything from Baba. But he instilled in me a sense of security and completeness,” says Dr Pruthi. Dr Dosanjh, while stressing that there’s a difference between “sick’ and “seeker”, agrees that ever since he joined the Osho fold, a “certain vacuum” in his life has been filled with a rich experience of joy. Off-the-shelf spirituality There are a variety of products offering “peace, prosperity and success and even spiritual succour” to buyers. Laughing
Buddhas, baguas, turtles, frogs and dragons — it’s over to shopping spree for troubled souls. Strategic shifting, alteration and modification of these products enhances their efficacy, it is claimed!
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Phagwara City Club enters new phase
The much-awaited elections of the office bearers of the City Club, Phagwara, are over. The elections for four office-bearers and nine executive members were held on December 17. It was for the first time in the over five- decade-old history of the club that elections were held. Most of the members of the club had apprehended the last-minute scuttling of the democratic process as was done the last year. However, their apprehensions proved unfounded, as this time the directive of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ensured the holding of the elections.
Earlier, vice-president, honorary secretary, joint secretary and cashier of the club, besides nine executive members used to be “selected” unanimously. Kapurthala DC and Phagwara SDM are the president and the senior vice-president of the club. This time, the group headed by Mr Ashok Prashar won three posts of office-bearers and six executive posts. An NGO activist and former Phagwara Block Congress (Urban) Committee President, Mr Prashar, won the post of the club vice-president with a margin of just eleven votes. He defeated his rival, Mr Paramjit Singh Khurana, a hotelier. Mr Prashar polled 158 votes, while Mr Khurana got 147 votes. Out of 333 eligible club members, as many as 306 had cast their votes. However, the other office-bearers of the Prashar group had bigger margins of victory. Mr Mohinder Sharma of the group was elected honorary secretary, while Mr Mukesh Goel was elected cashier. The Khurana group had to be content with the lone win of Mr Amrik Singh Khurana, who was elected secretary. Six candidates of the Prashar group — Mr Sunil Gaba, Mr Pawan Kumar Somra, Mr Satnam Singh Sehmbhi, Mr Sanjiv Gupta, Mr Ashwani Tewari, Mr Sham Sunder Indu — were declared elected as members of the executive committee. Three members of the Khurana group — Mr Harish Gupta, Mr Sanjay Jalota and Mr Ranjit Singh Khurana — won executive membership seats. After his victory, Mr Prashar told Jalandhar Plus that he would accord the topmost priority to sports by developing a well-equipped gym. The swimming pool and the tennis court would be improved and a congenial atmosphere for family get-togethers would be created, he added. “The pending projects would be completed,” he said. Mr Paramjit Singh Khurana, who had lost these elections, offered his group’s support on merit. “Developmental activities and projects for the welfare of the members would get our full support,” he said.
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X’mas spirit pervades city
Christmas preparations are in full swing. Various choir groups have been rehearsing carol singing for the past one week. All churches in the city and the cantonment have been illuminated and tastefully decked up with bells, colourful balloons, ribbons, stars, glitters and buntings. More than 50,000 Christians in the city and suburbs are eagerly waiting the celebrations that would begin today to mark the birth of Jesus Christ.
A procession was taken out in the city on Tuesday. It started from St Joseph Convent School in Defence Colony, passed through various colonies and bazaars of the city and culminated at Nehru Garden. A tableau of various scenes depicting Mother Mary carrying the new-born Jesus Christ was also presented. Today evening, a huge 20-foot tall Santa would be erected at the St Mary's Church in cantonment. Christmas trees would be decorated with red and white balloons and stars. Candles would be lit all around. There would be prayers by Bishop Symphorian Keeprath and everyone would sing carols in chorus. After midnight, cakes would be cut, and everyone would exchange greetings and gifts. The prayers would stop after 2 am. These would restart at 6 am and continue till the evening the next day. The festive air is unmistakable. The Sacred Heart Catholic Church near the BMC Chowk has been decorated beautifully. The entire Church Lane and the Bishop's House have also been illuminated and decked up to give a festive look. Mr David from the Bishop staff, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, said that more than 30,000 Christians from all corners of the city would visit the church today and tomorrow. The Sisters from the church said that the Bishop would take a round of all churches, beginning with the St Mary's Church and the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and extending to those in Sansarpur and Gakhal villages. They said that the carol singing would be organised in English, Hindi as well as Punjabi languages. The carols that would be rendered would include "The silent night" and "Angels be heard". The celebrations are also on at the church at the campus of Trinity College, near Pathankot Bypass. This church, too, has been decked up for the celebrations. Not just the churches, even most of the Christian educational institutes in the city, especially those in Suranussi, have been done up very nicely. Many of these educational institutions have organised Christmas celebrations in advance, keeping in view the winter break that has already started in schools and colleges.
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Fun and learning at kindergartens
Brightly-dressed kids sitting attentively on benches shaped like fruits and cartoons. A young smart woman in western attire standing behind a puppet theatre narrating a story to the kids using hand puppets. The room has been done very nicely with colourful action paintings on all sides of the walls and even ceilings of the room. A car-shaped rack placed in a corner of the room with differently-shaped blocks has been kept there.
Such a fun-filled environment is a common scene at city's top preparatory schools that form the first learning centres for the little ones. Each day in the school is planned differently so that there is no monotony and the child learns various concepts easily and is able to express them as clearly as possible, say authorities at these schools. There is a pretend-day, when a child acts like someone in the house, school or neighbourhood. There is a movie-day, when the child is shown a cartoon CD or a moral story. The next day is planned differently and the children are taken to nearby park, police station, religious place or restaurant. Still the next day is a colour-day when all children come dressed in one particular colour. There is also a telephone-day when the toddlers are made to acquire the skill of attending telephone calls. There are yet other days such as pool- days and sand-days when the kids play with differently-coloured and variously-shaped blocks immersed in water or sand. The kindergartens here have undergone a complete transformation and at least a dozen new play way schools have come up in the city in the past one year. Many of them are also carrying the brand tag along with them. Euro Kids is a part of 182 schools across the country and Kidzee is being run by the Zee Network Group that has a chain of schools. The schools have a set design of curriculum for the kids, the copies of which are sent by the parent companies in Mumbai, Delhi or elsewhere. There are hundreds of gadgets and play way material designed and dispatched by the parent company that help the child understand the basic concepts such as hard and soft or sweet and salty. That is not all. There are a few schools that have appointed dieticians to prepare the monthly menus for the children's meals. The schools have also appointed specially-trained staff nurses to take care of the children's needs. And these nurses are "dewormed" every month, so that they do not transmit any kind of infection to the little ones! One very interesting aspect about these play ways is that the admissions are held the year round and there is no specific admission time or admission session. Any child who is of the age two years or more is taken in pre-nursery. Those above three years step into nursery section. Says Ms Neena Bajaj of Mama's Pride, "Special attention is given to the kids in the first week after their admission. They are usually made to enjoy slides and swings kept out in the open. After a week, the toddlers are sent to a room where they play with stuffed toys, blocks and other items. They enjoy rhymes and music played for them. Then they are shifted to pre-nursery and nursery sections." Ms Harsimardeep, Principal of Kidzee, says, "We keep the kids engaged in one or the other activity. The teachers make a proper file of a toddler's assignments, which is presented to the parents during the monthly meeting." Ms Mouna Prehar, Chief Operating Officer of Euro Kids, says, "Ours is the only ISO-certified Montessori of the city. We ensure that all students are properly attended to, as just 22 students are taken in each class."
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From the Schools
A day-long workshop of art and craft was organised for students of the Red Cross School for Hearing Impaired by the Youth Club of the Apeejay College of Fine Arts on Saturday.
The students were trained for various craft skills such as candle making, pot making, gift wrapping, rangoli, mehndi, embroidery and card making. The club members were accompanied by Ms Jeewan from the Department of Fine Arts and Ms Monica Anand from the Department of Home Science. Ms Pratibha Kang, Headmistress of the school, appreciated the efforts of the club members in imparting vocational training to the students. Cultural show Students of pre-nursery, nursery and LKG, Innocent Hearts School, Green Model Town, held a cultural show on Saturday. The programme titled "Paradise of blossoms" began with a welcome address by the school Principal, Ms Bouri. The students presented a ribbon dance. A PT show was performed by the students of nursery class. The tiny tots also performed yoga. Pre-nursery students participated in a 50-mt race. Christmas party Tiny tots of Kidzee, Cool Road, organised Christmas celebrations on Tuesday. The little ones dressed in red, green and white presented a festive programme. They all danced to the tunes of "Jingle Bell". A Christmas tree was decorated and illuminated. A snowman added interest to the party. The Santa Claus, in his red and white baggy, added to the excitement of the children and distributed sweets to them. Candles were lit and Lord Christ was remembered. The rooms were decorated in all-white. Special effect of snow streaming down the ceiling and snow flakes was well in tune with the occasion. Mr Rahul Lamba, Ms Rashmi Lamba, franchisees, and Ms Harsimardeep Kaur, academic coordinator, were also present on the occasion. Kala Utsav Kala Utsav, an inter-school painting competition was held at Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, on Saturday. The contest was inaugurated by Ms Rajana Sood, Principal of the school branch at Mahavir Marg. It started with a cultural show by the students from the host school. The participants of the painting contest were given three topics — "Donate blood", "Save trees" and "Merry Christmas". The students took one hour to complete their paintings. Dr Balram Dogra, Director of the Apeejay Institute of Management, gave prizes to the winners. The students were divided into two groups "A" and "B". In group "A", the first and the second prize winners were Abhinav Sharma of Apeejay School, Tanda Road, and Sana Khan of Apeejay School, Model Town. In group "B", the first prize went to Amanpreet of Police DAV Public School and the second prize was clinched by Harpreet Kaur of the same school. Mr R.K. Walia, Principal, was also present on the occasion. Christmas celebrations St George's Convent School, Laxmipura, held Christmas celebrations on Tuesday. The kids presented a colourful show in which they came dressed up like Santa Claus and Mother Mary. They enacted a play depicting the birth of Christ. Kids were distributed sweets by their teachers. Mr Sandeep Kumar, Principal, Mr R.B. Reddy, Project Director, Mr K.K. Sondhi, Chairman, were also present on the occasion. Sports Day The pre-primary wing of Police DAV Public School, Jalandhar Cantonment, celebrated its annual sports day on Tuesday. Children from nursery to class II participated in various drills, aerobics, skating, musical chairs, yoga, cycle race, sack race and other track events. Even the teachers took part in musical chairs, tug-of-war and matka race. Mr D.R. Bhatti, ADGP of Punjab Armed Police, presided over the function and gave prizes to the winners. Mr Rajan Gupta, IGP, Mr R.P. Mittal, DIG (administration), and Ms Shashi Prabha, Commandant of 72 Battalion, were also present on the occasion. The show ended with bhangra presented by the students wearing colourful dresses. Quiz contest Students of class II from CT Public School participated in an inter-house quiz competition on Friday. There were several rounds based on various topics, including science, geography, history and literature. The students of the first team won 140 marks, followed by the second team that got 100 marks and the third team that scored 90 marks. The winner team was presented a certificate by the Principal, Ms Lakhwinder Kaur. Mr Charanjit Channi, Chairman, and Mr Manbir Singh, Managing Director, were also present on the occasion. |
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In harmony with
classical music
Music is her life's calling. And she is all decided about it at a fairly young age — 19 years. It's another matter that this young classical singer is already a veteran going by the number of years she has put into singing. Sugandha Mishra forayed into music at the age of three. "I learnt the first swar of music under the guidance of my grandpa, Pandit Shanker Lal Mishra, who has been the direct disciple of late Ustad Amir Khan of Indore, Pandit Bhola Nath Bhatt of Allahabad and Pandit Narayan Rao Joshi of Gwalior. In fact, our entire family, barring my mom, is into music. My uncle, Dr Arun Mishra, is a known sitarist," she says.
Sugandha is a student of BA III at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts. A string of awards has been coming her way since the age of twelve when she bagged the first prize in the Open Music Competition of the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan. During North Zonal and Inter-University Youth Festival 2000, she secured the first position in classical vocal and bhajan. She stood second in classical vocal in All-India University Youth Festival held at Varanasi in January 2001. She bagged the first prize in the 7th National Youth Festival held at Hisar in 2002. She secured the first position in classical vocal music competition during North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival held at Allahabad in 2002. She again got the first position in Western solo during North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival competition held at Allahabad in 2002. She bagged the first prize in classical vocal music in the 8th National Open Youth Festival held in 2003. The state government awarded her Rs1 lakh for her outstanding achievement in the field of classical vocal music. This year, again, she secured the first positions in Western solo, Western group song, classical vocal solo and mimicry in zonal, inter-zonal and north zone inter-university youth festivals. "Though my guru does not like my dabbling in Western music and mimicry, I think versatility is no disqualification. If I feel comfortable singing Western solo and doing mimicry, there's nothing wrong in it. Of course, I do make sure not to get diverted by all this," she says, adding that music, for her, is akin to "tapasaya". Her dream is to be a classical vocalist. "The path is not easy; the struggle is not painless. But I am determined," she signs off. |
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Shree Baba Harballabh Sangeet
The last week of December promises a treat to music lovers, particularly the classical music aficionados. The 129th Shree Baba Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan, dedicated to the Indian classical music, would be organised from December 24 to December 26.
A galaxy of musicians, including the vocalists Ustad Hussain Bakhsh Khan and Chand Khan, and Suraj Khan from Pakistan and flutist Pandit Ronu Majumdar, would participate in the sammelan. On December 24, the programme would include the performances of shehnai expert Ustad Ali Ahmed Khan, sitarist Ustad Shahid Pervez, dhrupad singer Uday Bhawalkar and Pakistani vocalists. Noted flute player Ronu Majumdar and vocalist Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan would perform the next day. The concluding day of the sammelan would have, among others, vocalist Meeta Pandit, sitarist Parteek Chaudhari, Pakistani tabla player Ustad Tafoo Khan, sarod player Tejendra Narayan Majumdar. The sammelan is the oldest festival of its kind. It is dedicated to Shree Baba Harballabh, a dhrupad singer, who started this sammelan in the memory of his guru, Pandit Tulja Giri. The first sammelan was held in 1875 at Devi Talab here. Baba Harballabh was born in the later part of the 18 century at Bajwara village in Hoshiarpur. It was after meeting Baba Tulja Giri that young Harballabh decided to renounce the world and take up the study of music, scriptures and Sanskrit under his guru's tutelage. Baba Harballabh possessed a melodious voice, and bhajans sung by him in dhrupad style had people flocking to Devi Talab. He also organised competitions of devotional songs. Continuing with the tradition, Shree Baba Harballabh Sangeet Mahasabha organises music competitions (sangeet pratiyogita) for upcoming artists every year. This year, these competitions were scheduled from December 22 to December 24. Interestingly, the sangeet sammelan still upholds the "baithak" style, where the audience sits on the ground and the artist is given a raised seat in the typical
"guru-shishya" tradition.
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Market Buzz
Spice Telecom, mobile service provider of Punjab, organised an exciting road show at Model Town on Saturday.
Ms Ellica McDonald, Australian dancer, presented an Indian contemporary and fusion dance as well as ballet and tap dance on popular Indian numbers ranging from Bollywood remixes to Punjabi bhangra and fusion music. She also performed an item number for the recent movie "Shaadi ka ladoo". Mr Sidharth Mehra, Marketing Manager, said that the show helped in sharing the spirit of fun and excitement with subscribers and increasing brand awareness among the target audience. Agricultural camp The Oriental Bank of Commerce organised an agricultural camp at its Mithapur branch on Tuesday. Chairman and Managing Director of the bank, Mr B.D. Narang, was the chief guest. Addressing the gathering, Mr Narang said that the bank had disbursed loans to the tune of Rs 30.11 crore to 1219 farmers of various villages in the region. "With tailor-made schemes as per the needs of farmers, the policies are framed at easy terms and conditions. These policies have a low rate of interest," he said. Mr Narang added that the bank was increasing its share in agricultural sector with an aim to double the advance in the sector for the next three years. He said that the scheme for the potato seed growers was getting a tremendous response. Mr G.K. Sachdeva, General Manager (Rural Development), was also present on the occasion. Hutch offers booking on mobile Hutch, cellular phone service provider, has pioneered in offering rail ticket booking to its users in Punjab through simple voice commands. In partnership with the Indian Railways and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Hutch had launched its service in New Delhi in September this year and the service was now being extended in phases across the other Hutch circles, company spokesperson said. Mr Arun Kapoor, Chief Operating Officer, Punjab, said, "Indians love to travel. Mobile ticketing will be the next convenience that the Hutch would offer after making available other services like mobile banking, e-mail, video clips, scores and airline schedules." Giving details, Mr Kapoor said, "Users simply have to dial 123 and say 'Railways'. Then they have to get their name, age and address registered over the phone. The user is then asked about the train and the journey details he would like to opt for. He is then informed about the cost of the tickets. The service also confirms booking, and payment can be made when the tickets are delivered to the user at home."
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Fragrance
of incense wafts across the room that is resounding with chants.
Voices rise and fall with measured intonation. It’s not exactly a
spiritual excursion; it is a stress-busting session with spiritual
overtones. Cut to another scene.
